Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the city’s Department of Aviation have released designs for Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)’s new Satellite Concourse 1. Part of the airport’s Terminal Area Program (TAP) — the largest concourse expansion and renovation program in ORD’s 68-year history — the Satellite Concourse’s design is led by architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), with Ross Barney Architects, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects (JGMA) and developer Arup also contributing to the project.
One of the first domestic-international codeshare concourses in Chicago, ORD’s Satellite Concourse 1 is structured to streamline operational efficiency by flexibly accommodating multiple kinds of aircrafts. Inside, a tree-like structural design (inspired by the airport’s original name, Orchard Field) reduces gate-adjacent columns, in a move to aid passenger congestion and boarding. The concourse’s design also has sustainability impacts, reducing the building’s embodied carbon and minimizing heating and cooling needs through its curved roof and central skylights. The new concourse will also feature a garden-like atrium for connecting and departing travelers to enjoy.
“We designed the new satellite concourse to create a frictionless experience for travelers, on par with the best airports in the world,” said SOM Design Partner Scott Duncan. “The gate lounges feature column-free expanses for easy wayfinding, high ceilings to improve views and air circulation, and a daylighting strategy to help align the body’s natural rhythms—all to make the experience of air travel more pleasurable.”
